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Caption

Prion protein. Computer artwork of part of a prion protein. This portion of protein is found in the causative agent (a prion) of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cows, and Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. It is also part of a normal body protein in many vertebrates. Magenta areas are alpha-helices, yellow areas are beta- sheets, and white shows linkage areas. This is the rigid and stable half of the protein. The other half (not shown) is variable in shape. One shape is believed to be responsible for CJD and BSE. This structure was determined at the Institute of Animal Health in Newbury, England.